


Clouded

by anthemXIX



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Concussions, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), everyone has their moment, ft. legend pretending he's not soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:00:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anthemXIX/pseuds/anthemXIX
Summary: Sky wasn’t sure what had happened. One moment, he was swinging the Master Sword towards a moblin and the next, he was face-planting in the dirt, pain exploding from the back of his head.// Sky gets a concussion and the other boys take care of him.
Relationships: Sky (Linked Universe) & Everyone
Comments: 22
Kudos: 197





	Clouded

Sky wasn’t sure what had happened. One moment, he was swinging the Master Sword towards a moblin and the next, he was face-planting in the dirt, pain exploding from the back of his head. His vision blacked over temporarily; when it cleared, the previously normal light from the sun seemed agonizingly bright, and everything around him looked blurred at the edges.

Still firmly gripping the Master Sword, Sky struggled to his hands and knees. He realized Legend was in front of him, parrying blows from the moblin Sky had been fighting. Legend turned to face him a couple times and seemed to be speaking, but Sky couldn’t hear him. The words were lost to the din of battle and the awful ringing in Sky’s ears.

Sky forced himself to stand, nearly toppling over in the process. He squinted against the harsh sunlight, focused on the moblin, and lashed out with the Master Sword. 

The tip grazed the monster’s side. It didn’t even flinch. 

Sky wondered how his aim had been so terribly off, but he didn’t let it faze him. He tried again. This time, the blade harmlessly sliced through the air, the momentum of the swing causing Sky to stumble. As he tried to right himself, he watched Legend deliver the killing blow to the moblin. The pink-haired hero turned to him, mouth moving as he gestured towards the nearby tree line that edged the clearing.

Sky looked at his companion in confusion, trying to understand. Legend scowled, seized Sky’s arm, and dragged him into the trees, kicking aside some undergrowth. He pushed down on Sky’s shoulders until Sky finally plopped onto the ground. “Sit,” Legend commanded, voice clear now that he was hovering inches from Sky’s face. “Stay.”

With that, Legend stomped out of the trees but didn’t stray far before dropping into a defensive stance, sword readied.

Sky vaguely registered that Legend had spoken to him like he was a dog, but he couldn’t muster the energy to care. He watched as a second moblin, arms and back littered with arrows, staggered towards Legend, who dispatched the monster with a few precise strikes. Sky would have felt impressed if he weren’t so distracted by the intense throbbing pain radiating through his skull.

Suddenly the noise of clashing weapons and battle cries was gone, although the ringing in Sky’s ears persisted. Legend’s posture was relaxed now as he pulled out a cloth to wipe his bloodied blade clean. Warriors appeared next to him, elbowing the younger hero in the ribs. “Look at you,” Warriors teased. “Getting all protective mama bear with Sky.”

Sky didn’t understand what that meant, but Legend did, if his venomous glare was anything to go by. Warriors approached Sky and circled around behind him, asking, “How are you feeling?”

“Head hurts,” Sky murmured as he sheathed his blade. His own voice echoed loudly in his skull. He felt Warriors delicately touching the back of his head and neck and wow, was that painful.

Warriors reappeared in Sky’s still-blurred vision, crouching in front of him. “Do you know where you are?”

“Uhhh…” Sky squinted around at the trees as if searching for the correct answer. “Hyrule?” 

“Got anything more specific than that?”

“…Woods?”

“In whose era?”

Sky couldn’t recollect, and thinking was only making his head throb more ferociously. “Dunno. Hurts.”

Behind the captain, Sky could see Four was standing next to Legend now, black blood staining his multi-colored tunic.

“So your heart isn’t pure stone after all,” Four quipped. 

Legend tossed his hands up in frustration. “Why do you all sound so shocked? Did you expect me to let him get bludgeoned to death?”

Time materialized, crouching next to Warriors.

“Likely concussed,” Warriors reported. 

Time nodded, then held up a finger. “Sky, can you follow my finger with your eyes?”

“Why?” Sky asked hoarsely.

“We’re trying to see how badly you’re injured.”

Sky didn’t really comprehend that, but what else was new? He did as he was told. Keeping his eyes on Time’s moving finger turned out to be a much more difficult task than he anticipated, but he managed.

When that was finished, Time and Warriors kept speaking to each other, but Sky tuned it out and gingerly touched the back of his head. Not a good idea, he decided, as a new wave of pain surged through him. 

He pulled his hand away and looked at it, surprised to see bright red blood all over his fingers. Now that he concentrated, he could feel something hot and wet sliding down his neck and soaking into the shoulders of his tunic. 

“Wha’happen’d?” Sky slurred. 

“You took a nasty hit from a blin’s club,” Warriors said. “We’re going to scout out a safe spot to camp for the night so you can get some rest, okay?”

“Mmkay.” 

He watched Warriors go and then heard Hyrule speaking behind him. When had he gotten back there?

“I can heal him a bit,” Hyrule offered. 

Time nodded, but warned, “Don’t overexert yourself.”

The intensity of Sky’s pain dialed down, his pulse pounding less heavily in his ears. The relief was incredibly welcome. Hyrule put a comforting hand on Sky’s shoulder. “You’re going to be okay. You just need time to recover.”

“Mmkay,” Sky repeated, watching the smaller hero walk off in the same direction Warriors had gone. He noticed that Legend and Four had also disappeared. Where was everyone going exactly?

Time said something to him that Sky was too distracted to catch, but he certainly noticed when Time began to stand. What? He was leaving too? Reflexively, Sky grasped the older man’s arm. Time was visibly startled, but Sky didn’t seem to notice, caught up in his sudden fear. 

The older man lowered himself back to Sky’s eye level. “What is it?”

“Don’ leave me,” Sky pleaded, half-aware that he sounded like a pitiful child.

Time rested a reassuring hand on top of Sky’s. “We’re not leaving you. It’s okay.”

He moved to Sky’s side and wrapped an arm around his back. Suddenly, Twilight was on Sky’s other side doing the same, and the two heroes pulled Sky to his feet. The altitude change scattered black dots across Sky’s vision again, and the movement jostled his stomach.

“Uh-oh,” Sky said.

“What—”

Twilight didn’t get to finish his question as Sky doubled over and vomited down the front of his tunic. Twilight jerked away at first but recovered quickly. Time didn’t react.

“Ohno, ‘m sorry,” Sky moaned.

“It’s not your fault,” Time said. “Let’s get you to camp.”

The three of them began trudging forward. Sky grimaced, his head thumping with each step, but at least the nausea had passed. He wanted so badly to just lie down and take a good long nap.

It felt like ages before Time and Twilight were finally lowering their injured companion onto a log and sitting on either side of him. Sky was so grateful to be still that he sighed.

Four appeared with a cloth and began to wordlessly blot at Sky’s chest. Sky was confused about what he was doing at first, but then he remembered he had gotten sick all over himself. He couldn’t have poor Four cleaning that up! Sky reached out to grab the cloth but he couldn’t seem to manage it. He belatedly realized that his depth perception was off.

“Sorry,” Sky croaked. 

Four shook his head. “No worries.” 

Twilight helped Sky undress to his undertunic, and Four walked off with the soiled garments. Warriors moved behind him again, medical supplies in hand, and Sky felt his friend cleaning and dressing his wound with unexpected gentleness.

Wind appeared, Sky’s bedroll in his arms.

“Is he going to be okay?” Wind asked Time.

“We need to keep an eye on him the next few hours,” Time said, “but I believe he’ll be fine.”

Wind nodded and stooped down to set up Sky’s bedroll, carefully smoothing it out, as Warriors moved away with a pile of blood-stained linens.

Wild appeared then, cup in hand. He smiled softly at Sky and held it out. “I made you some tea with honey, the way you like it.”

Sky started to reach for the proffered cup but let his hand fall. He looked at the ground in shame. “I can’t.”

Wild tilted his head, confused. “Can’t what?”

“Can’t…” Sky gestured at the cup helplessly.

“Can’t hold it, I think,” Twilight supplied.

“Oh, that’s okay.” Wild forced his mentor to scoot over so he could perch on the log next to Sky, then lifted the cup slowly to Sky’s lips. The sweet, hot tea was so soothing that it overwhelmed him. His friends were treating him so kindly, so gently, it made Sky’s heart clench. But more than that, the tea reminded him of home and of Zelda and her sweet smile.

Zelda…how he missed her.

Sky burst into tears.

Startled, Wild pulled back the cup. “Are you okay? What happened?”

Sky buried his face in his hands. What had happened? He wasn’t sure, but he knew he couldn’t stop the tears now.

He felt Time snake an arm around him, drawing him into a side hug. “It’s the concussion. Come on, Sky, let’s get you to bed.”

Face wet, head pulsating, Sky allowed Time to lead him the short walk to his bedroll. Sky curled on his side and let the older man tuck him in like he was a small child. Just as soon as Time moved away from him, Sky lurched up and emptied his stomach. Most of it landed on the ground. Most of it.

“Oh, Hylia,” someone murmured from across camp, and then there were hands under his arms, fishing him out of his dirtied bedroll and plopping him down in a lap. He watched Hyrule gather up his bedding, saying something about helping Four with the laundry.

“Now what?” somebody asked.

“Give him my bedroll,” said the person he was sitting on. Belatedly, Sky identified the voice as Warriors.

“And you’ll just sleep on the ground?”

“Nonsense. Legend will share his with me.”

“Like hell!”

Wind’s face bobbed in front of his, frowning. “He looks really pale.”

“Bring him here.”

Wind took Sky’s hands and pulled while Warriors pushed gently at his back. 

“Work with us here, Sky,” Wind huffed. Sky realized they were trying to get him to his feet, so he did his best to cooperate. He felt oddly detached from his body as he was escorted to a new bedroll and tucked in once more. He heard his companions speaking around him, but their words were lost as he quickly tumbled into fitful oblivion.

\---

The next time Sky opened his eyes, he thought his vision had gone black again, until he groggily recognized that it was nighttime. Without the searing sunshine, his head pounded less, although there was still an unmistakable sharp stab of pain at the base of his skull.

Sky blinked wearily, noticing he was face-to-face with someone’s boots, and his back leaned against something warm and solid. Something furry was under his head now, along with his pillow—Twilight’s pelt, he realized. 

Sitting up made Sky’s head swim. He groaned.

“Morning, sunshine,” someone said. “Take this.”

It took him a moment to register that the object shoved into his hands was a waterskin. When he started to drink, he realized how thirsty he was.

“Slow sips,” the person chided.

Sky lowered the waterskin and turned to see Legend was sitting on a log right next to him, leaning forward and resting his chin in one hand. His face was lit by flickering orange light. In a tree behind him, Sky’s clothes and bedroll, freshly washed, were hung up to dry. Sky glanced around their campsite, looking at their sleeping companions spread around the fire. It was then that he noticed Wind was tucked against his other side, asleep.

“He was worried about you,” Legend said, gesturing at the youngest hero, “and figured you wouldn’t mind a cuddle or whatever.”

“Why’re you up?”

“I’m on watch.”

Sky took a long drink of water, thinking. “I was fighting a blin.”

“You were. He clubbed ya pretty good.”

“…Now’m here.”

“At camp, yeah.”

Hazy memories surfaced. “I’ve concussion.”

“That’s right. You feel sick?”

He shook his head and instantly regretted it as fresh pain shot through his skull.

“Okay,” Legend said, taking the water from him, “you oughta lay back down. Get some more sleep.”

Sky obliged, settling back into the bedroll. “You got me outta th’fight.”

“Yeah.”

Suddenly Wind rolled over to face Sky, eyes half-closed and bleary, grinning crookedly. “The vet annihilated that moblin for you, Sky. He was so pissed that it hurt you. It was cute.”

“Shut up, twerp,” Legend mumbled, half-hearted.

Wind laughed and lazily slung an arm across Sky’s middle. “You seem a little better, Sky. I’m glad.”

Sky hummed in acknowledgement, already drifting. He felt Legend subtly adjusting the blankets over him and Wind not-so-subtly cuddling closer. Although his head ached fiercely, he felt comfortable, warm, and safe, and he was content to surrender to a now-peaceful darkness.


End file.
